Published: June 23, 2009 09:58 am      

Liberty Tree dedication to connect past, present

Saturday event to coincide with Oldtown Summerfest celebration

OLDTOWN — It turns out Oldtown might be a pretty good Plan B.

Local dignitaries and elected officials on Saturday in Oldtown will dedicate a descendant of the original Liberty Tree, originally located at St. John’s College in Annapolis. The original tree was damaged and torn down after a hurricane in 1999, yet 14 seedlings were preserved. The idea was to plant a seedling in each of the 13 colonies and Washington.

“It was the most logical choice,” Francis “Champ” Zumbrun, forest manager at Green Ridge State Forest, said about the effort to plant the seedling at St. John’s College. “But, for some reason, they weren’t real excited about the project. My second choice was Col. (Thomas) Cresap’s fort site” in Oldtown.

On Saturday at 11 a.m., the tree will be dedicated and a plaque will be unveiled conveying to visitors what the tree, a tulip poplar, represents and how it is connected to Cresap and Allegany County. The event follows the kickoff of the Oldtown Summerfest parade at 10 a.m.

The tree was transplanted and installed in 2007 with little fanfare near the former Oldtown High School baseball field at the corner of Opessa Street and Green Spring Road near the site of Cresap’s fort in 1740. Zumbrun said he wanted to ensure the transplant was successful before dedicating it.

Each of the original 13 colonies had a Sons of Liberty group, a secret society which often met under a specific tree. Members of the group, Zumbrun said, protested taxation without representation and, in particular, the Stamp Act. Historians credit Cresap, who founded Western Maryland’s Sons of Liberty group, with defeating the Stamp Act, Zumbrun said.

Organizers are going with a no-holds barred approach to reach as many as possible.

“It should appeal to everyone,” said Sandra Stansberry, chairwoman for Oldtown Summerfest. “It’s a historical message. Well, how many people know what the Liberty Tree stands for? Most people don’t even know what the Liberty Tree is.”

Stansberry said Gov. Martin O’Malley is expected to issue a proclamation indicating Saturday as “Liberty Tree Day” across the state.

“It’s a big event,” she said.

Said Zumbrun: “I think anyone with a little bit of patriotism running through your blood will really enjoy this.”

Zumbrun will play a hands-on role in the dedication. He will sing “Liberty Tree,” written by patriot Thomas Paine in 1775. The guitar being used is one of 400 made from the wood of Maryland’s original Liberty Tree. The presentation will be accompanied by the ringing of a replica of the Spirit of Liberty Bell.

Zumbrun said the dedication and festival can serve as an introduction to a town that is a “who’s who of colonial history.” Prominent figures such as George Washington and Daniel Boone stayed with Cresap or camped in his fields, Zumbrun said.

“We have an incredible history here,” said Zumbrun, who’s set to retire this August after 31 years of service with the state Department of Natural Re-sources.

For Summerfest details, log on to www.oldtownmdsummerfest.com. For more information on the Liberty Tree, visit www. mcbridegallery. com.

Contact Kevin Spradlin at kspradlin@times-news.com.